WEBVTT - 2023 WNBA Playoff Preview, A'ja vs. Stewie & Anonymous Player Poll 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:07.840 This is a Japanese way to get headache out. 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:12.799 Long sleeve teachers roll them up and then tie up 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:16.400 on my head head like this, were it tight? Okay 0:00:17.239 --> 0:00:20.960 like this, So now your headache is gone because this 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:28.240 give you a new headache. 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:33.080 Hey, and welcome to the No Dunks podcast, probably a 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:37.760 part of the Athletic Podcast Network. It's September twelfth, twenty 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.159 twenty three. I'm your host for today, Trey Kirby. We 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.800 got Jerome in the yard making the magic happen. And 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.840 I'm happy to be joined today by a national women's 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.040 basketball staff writer for The Athletic, one of the co 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:52.360 hosts of the Athletic Women's Basketball Show alongside Xenakada and 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:55.320 Sabrina Merchant. We got Ben Pickman on the show. Ben, 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:56.000 what's up man? 0:00:56.360 --> 0:00:58.279 I'm doing super well, Super excited to hear. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:01.440 Yeah. I can't wait to w with you. Thank you 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.119 to everybody here in the stream team joining us live today. 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:08.360 Thanks to everybody listening to the podcast a little bit later, 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:13.240 like subscribe, comment, email, engage with us, make this show 0:01:13.240 --> 0:01:15.880 a big time hit. Ben. Before we get into the playoffs, 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:17.279 I want to talk to you a little bit about 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:21.240 the regular season in the WNBA longest regular season we've 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:24.160 ever had. We've got super teams in the w now, 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:27.959 if I'm not mistaken, highest scoring season in WNBA history 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:31.000 as well. Has this been as awesome of a regular 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:32.200 season as it seems like to me? 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:35.920 It has been, you know, extended games, extended season means 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:38.640 a lot more records have fallen, a lot more incredible 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.240 scoring performances. Scoring has been up, as you mentioned, a 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:44.679 ton of triple doubles, some history in that category. All 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.240 throughout the league, the super teams have been as good 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:49.880 as advertised, even though New York did take a little 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:52.440 bit of time to get going, you know, and you know, 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:54.000 the bottom of the league, the middle of league has 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:56.520 been super competitive too, just kind of topsy turvy. A 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:58.520 lot has come down to the end of the regular 0:01:58.560 --> 0:02:00.760 season and it sets up for a really playoffs. 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.800 So yeah, I thought the last week was really exciting 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:06.320 because a few teams were really trying to qualify for 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.639 the playoffs down the stretch, two teams I pull for. 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:12.240 I'm a Canvas Parker fan first and foremost, but then 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:14.560 the Sky and the Dream were like going down to 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:16.920 the last games of the season to see if they 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:19.880 were gonna make. It kind of reminds me, honestly of 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:22.520 a Formula One season where we've got two teams really 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:25.000 fighting for the title, a couple of good teams, and 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:26.760 then a whole bunch of mid carters who you don't 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.040 exactly know what you're gonna get from game to game. 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:32.440 But it made for an exciting season, man, and I'm 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:34.400 hyped for the playoffs to come around. Did you have 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.760 a favorite game, a favorite moment from the regular season 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:38.160 this year? 0:02:38.520 --> 0:02:40.720 I mean, there were a few memorable ones. I'm based 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:42.840 in Brooklyn, so I've been around the Liberty a lot. 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:44.760 I've seen a lot of Liberty games in person. I 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.359 mean Brianna Shurts her first home game when she set 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.240 a franchise record and career high forty five points against 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:53.560 the Fever, Like, that's how you kick off a tenure 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:55.959 with a franchise with a bang, right, Like it was 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.880 an unbelievable performance. It was like, oh, man, now we 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.520 are finally getting to watch Dewey in person. That was super, 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:05.280 super exciting. All Star was a great weekend, super successful, 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:08.160 ton of fun events there. Anytime you're around the aces 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:09.960 and just seeing them in person, that is a treat. 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:11.440 So those are some of the highlights for me. 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.360 Yeah, I was lucky. I got to see the Aces 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:19.519 play here in Atlanta twice, including Asia Wilson's fifty three 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.600 point game. It was on a Tuesday, a school night. 0:03:22.639 --> 0:03:24.680 I got a second grader and a third grader and 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:27.120 I kept them in the arena until the final final 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:29.359 buzzer sounded because we couldn't miss a basket. Man, that's 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:32.040 the most points I've ever seen in any basketball game. 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:35.200 That was so awesome to see the fans, the Atlanta 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:37.160 fans getting hype to see Asia Wilson go to the 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.360 line and knock down free throws for the fifty and 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:41.640 fifty first point before she went on to fifty three. 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:42.800 That was incredible. 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:44.920 Yeah, that's a treat for not only you but also 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.040 your family and keep it him out on the score. 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.760 Good for you on that exactly. You know, you don't 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:53.680 learn everything you need to know from books. I'm watching. 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:56.320 I'm like, this is history class right here. You'll probably 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.480 never see a game this exciting again, So drink it 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:03.120 in while you can. Those fun times. The man, Asia 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.320 Wilson an absolute bucket. But we got the playoffs starting 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.160 tomorrow Wednesday, night, So let's take a quick look at 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:11.480 the bracket here at the end of the regular season, 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.280 the Aces are taking on the Chicago Sky in the 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.600 one versus eight matchup. Would be awesome if Candas Parker 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:21.320 was healthy for that one, but does not seem to 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.520 be the case. The team you covered, Ben, the New 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.479 York Liberty take on the Washington Mystics, who do seem 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:28.760 to be getting healthy at just the right time for 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.400 the playoffs. In the three six matchup, we've got the 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:35.000 Connecticut Sun, a surprisingly great team this year, taken on 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.840 the Minnesota Links, who I'm very confused by. And then 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.240 we got the Dallas Wings versus the Atlanta Dream. I'm 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:43.480 hoping to get to a game in that four or 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.279 five matchup then, But first question I've got for you. 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.280 We mentioned how there's been two great teams this year, 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:51.680 two super teams in the Aces and the Liberty. The 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:55.560 Aces finished the season thirty four and six, first in offense, 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.800 first in defense, but maybe a rocky or second half 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:02.320 of the season after starting twenty four and two, they 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:05.040 finished ten and four to end the regular season. Meanwhile, 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:07.400 the Liberty, they finished thirty two and eight on the year, 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.320 second in offense third in defense. They won eight of 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:15.279 their last nine games fourteen of their last sixteen to 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.479 challenge for the one seed at the end of the 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.560 regular season. Are we destined to see these two teams 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:22.640 in the finals or is there anybody who could knock 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:23.760 one of these two teams off? 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:26.800 I mean, it feels easy and maybe a little anti 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.160 climactic to open this show and say that it feels 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:32.359 like we're almost destined to have the Aces and the 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:34.960 Liberty meet in the finals. But it certainly does feel 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.719 that way. You know, these two teams have been the 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:41.240 two best teams in the WNBA all season long. Oftentimes 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.760 it is by a significant margin. Or we've certainly seen 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:45.840 you know, New York most recently they blew out the 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:49.560 Connecticut Sun and seem to put some distance between you know, 0:05:49.640 --> 0:05:52.920 the two and the three in this matchup. You know, 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.719 certainly there's some other teams Connecticut can challenge Dallas. I 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:58.320 think is an interesting dark hose in the postseason. And 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:00.840 you know, we've certainly learned last year in this playoff format, 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.559 there are no guarantees. We thought we were gonna get 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:06.880 a Chicago Sky appearance in the finals. We didn't in 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:10.039 the end, Connecticut beats them in the Semis in five games, 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.599 five thrilling games, rather, but it definitely does seem like 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:15.640 we are on this collision course to get Las Vegas 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:17.240 and New York and frankly, I think for a lot 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.560 of people that is okay, these are the two best 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:21.960 teams talent wise, it's maybe two of the two best 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:24.640 coaches in the league, two great fan bases, two great 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.000 in arena experiences. So you know, if you're a fan 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:28.960 of the other ten teams, of course you want your 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:31.560 team to make it or the other six in the playoffs. 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:34.359 But it does seem like nationally we're gonna get a 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:36.200 Liberty Aces final, or that's what I'm thinking we're going 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:36.840 to get in the end. 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.359 Well, and that's been a spicy matchup as well. I 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.320 think they somehow ended up playing four times against each 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:45.440 other just in August. I don't know how the schedule 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:47.919 worked out that way, but it made it exciting to 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:49.680 see these two teams kind of like gearing up for 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:52.440 the playoffs, assuming they're going to take on each other. Obviously, 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:55.880 the Liberty took down the Aces and the Commissioner's Cup 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:58.960 Championship game, I saw them celebrating like they had just 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:02.360 won the WNB title. Stewe was saying afterwards, this is 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.800 our first piece of hardware. What's the biggest weakness for 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.520 the Aces, Because, like I said, first in offense, first 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:10.800 in defense. I know they're missing Candas Parker and I 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:13.400 haven't really seen an update on her return at all, 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:15.880 so I'm assuming she's out for the playoffs. But how 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:16.920 do you beat the Aces? 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:19.360 I mean, it still seems like on the Candace Parker 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:21.440 front that she is going to be out indefinitely, and 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:23.920 as a result, just their depth has been a little 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:26.240 bit more tested. Right Kea Stokes has slid into the 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.760 starting lineup, and she is a very good defensive center, 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:31.080 but she doesn't have the same impact nearly on the 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.440 offensive end of the floor. And someone like Stokes, who 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:36.200 was a valuable bench contributor at the start of the year, 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.400 has been a valuable contributor for them in the past. 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:40.440 You know, she slides into the starting lineup and the 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.720 bench gets even thinner, and so that is one real 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:46.559 differentiating factor in my mind, between New York and Las Vegas. 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:48.600 New York has a little bit more punch off the bench, 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:52.160 not only scoring marine johannas the French guard she can be. 0:07:52.400 --> 0:07:52.560 You know. 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.040 Becky Hammond described her as just like a gun. She 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:57.320 just comes into the game. She'll fire off eight straight points. 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:00.280 Boom boom, boom, boom boom. Becky made that sound. They 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:02.800 played a couple weeks back here in New York and 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:04.920 then she checks out of the game, has done her damage, 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:06.480 and that is her night. And New York just has 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:08.920 other places and pieces that they plug into the lineup 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.280 that I don't think Las Vegas has. So it's two 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:13.600 stellar starting lineups, you know, some of the best players 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.320 in the world. But the depth is really something I 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:18.840 think at this point is worth watching. It wasn't. It 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.640 didn't make a difference for Las Vegas during last year's 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:23.840 playoffs they still had a short bench, but I think 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:26.840 it might this time around, especially when they played New York. 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.400 Is Marien Johannah the coolest player in the league? 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:33.440 Yeah, I mean I think she might be. Certainly, she 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.080 does some of the most unexpected things of anyone in 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:39.120 the league. You know, Chelsea Gray herself might be the 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.760 best highlot machine. You know, She's thrown some incredible passes 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:43.599 this year. The one early in the year that was 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.760 a no look that I think went super super viral 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:48.120 my colleagues. Sabrina wrote about it and just all the 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.679 Aces players reacting about how they were so surprised that 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.920 Chelsea did it. But marine on a nightly basis, especially 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:55.880 on a per minute basis, you know, I don't know 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.360 how we would really quantify that staff, but you know, 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:01.480 she just checked in and it's like, here's a one 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.520 legged three, here's a no look pass, here's a you know, 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:07.720 a dribble underneath the hoop and scoop around, and you know, 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:11.040 throw some pass from an angle you've never seen before. 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.040 Like she is so so exciting, especially considering how much 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:15.440 or how little she plays in a game. 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:18.920 Yeah, I'm sure she's thrown a regular pass at some point, 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:21.280 but I think I've seen one hundred percent behind the 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:23.679 back passes or something that's gonna end up in a 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:26.520 highlight reel I mentioned. The Liberty really turned it on 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:29.440 in the second half of the season. You follow the 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.320 team quite closely, You're really close to Barclay Center. What 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:34.840 changed for New York for them to go on this 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:36.360 run in the second half of the season. 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:38.520 I think it's a few things. I mean, I think 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:40.800 just going back to the start of the season. Not surprisingly, 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:43.000 it took Brianna Store the least amount of time to 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.400 kind of settle into her role. She immediately she did 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.320 everything for New York and almost was over extending herself 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.120 or was asked to score, rebound facilitate at the start 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:53.959 of the year because some of the other pieces they 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:57.200 brought in just hadn't started to fit yet. Then Corney 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:00.160 Vandersloute started to kind of acclimate and I think fgured 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.920 out how to play better alongside Sabrina and Yunescu, who's 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.559 come on super, super strong, especially in the second half 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.000 of the year, just record breaking three point numbers. And 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:09.840 then it was John Kula Jones and you know she's 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.959 a former League MVP won it with Connecticut. Was equally 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.640 one of these high profile acquisitions. Was going to come 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.120 in and both anchor New York's defense and also play 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:20.240 a huge role on offense. She was a little bit 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.360 slow at the start of the year, coming off a 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:24.640 foot injury. She eased her way back into training camp, 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:26.920 didn't practice a ton back in camp. Was kind of 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:28.280 seemed to be on a little bit of a minute 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.560 restriction early on in the year. Was a little slow 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:33.040 on defense, wasn't really fitting in spacing wise on offense, 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:35.760 and she's come on super, super strong, especially in the 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:38.440 month of August. She's just been a double double machine. 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:41.360 Sandy Broundello actually tasked her after one loss at the 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.800 end of July to just get a double double every night. 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:47.120 That she hasn't done that exactly, but she's oftentimes come 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:50.840 really really close or gotten doubles in a vast majority 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:53.199 of their games. And so now that she is really 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:56.200 settling in it, just the pieces have started to fit 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.240 much better. It took a full season, and I guess 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:00.559 we should have expected it to take bunch of time. 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:03.640 But now that we're here in September with the postseason, 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.240 the pieces do really fit together really nicely, and that 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:08.720 is a big reason why New York is where they are. 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.120 Yeah, I'm not surprised it took a bit longer for 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.920 John Quell Jones to get going. We've seen it time 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.160 and time again in the NBA when a big three 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:20.560 comes together, the third person is always kind of the 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:22.800 one figure out where their shots are going to come 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:25.000 for and trying to figure out a way to go 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:27.520 from having the ball all the time to being you know, 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.000 maybe more of a one point five option or something 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:33.040 like that. But she John Qwell Jones, was absolutely dominant 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:35.280 in that Commissioner's Cup game. I thought she just ran 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.559 wild inside and you could really feel the absence of 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:42.480 Canvas Parker in that game, in particular for the Aces. 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:44.800 So yeah, John Quell Jones seems to be a major 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:46.840 X factor if those two teams meet. But that's going 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:49.760 to be weeks from now. You mentioned it a little bit. 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.200 Maybe the Connecticut Sun would have a chance against either 0:11:53.200 --> 0:11:55.079 of these two teams, if I'm not mistaken. They've made 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:58.920 two finals and two semi finals the last four seasons. 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:02.520 How does this team take the next step to get 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:07.160 past this this sort of wall that they keep running into. 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:09.240 I mean, they're running into good teams. They keep losing 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:11.640 to good teams. They did make finals a couple of times, 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:15.400 but they just seem maybe one piece away something like that. 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.160 It's funny that you use the wall analogy because Alyssa Thomas, 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:21.920 when you think about her, she is like running into 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.079 a wall or playing against a wall, you know, because 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.880 of her strength or physicality, and she just you run 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:29.640 into her and you immediately bounce back the way you 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:32.720 would if you were running into a wall. But for me, 0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:35.679 it's all about guard play for them, right Like Alyssa 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:38.880 Thomas is gonna get her She's gonna create, she's gonna 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.680 push the ball in transition, she's gonna get steals, she's 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:45.280 gonna score on offense. But it seems like from a 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:48.240 just from a backcourt. If you look at the backcourt 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:50.800 that Connecticut has Tiffany Hayes, you know she is at 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:53.000 the latter stages of her career. She can certainly still 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:56.199 show flashes of getting to the rim of creating offense 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:58.320 for herself. She's done that a few times throughout the 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:00.880 regular season. But you know, I think she twenty games 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.400 this season when she scored between zero and nine points. 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.840 You know, this is a former All Star. She's turning 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.600 thirty four years old during this postseason. But if she 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:11.880 can explode during the playoffs, I think Connecticut's ceiling is 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:14.640 a little bit higher. Nietzchecha Heideman another one of their 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:17.280 guards in the backcourt. She played really well during last 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:19.600 year's postseason and especially in some of the biggest games, 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:23.120 their Game three first round elimination game against Dallas, Game 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:25.959 five against the Chicago Sky. She played really well. I 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:28.280 think she had fourteen in that one. The contest in 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.280 the finals when Connecticut beat Las Vegas, she also had 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:35.120 double digit scoring. So it's just can Connecticut's backcourt give 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.400 them enough of a boost to you know, help Alissa 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:40.840 Thomas to help the want to bonn her out. Those 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.120 are two players, two all star players who will be 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.560 reliable for Connecticut. But especially when you compare you know, 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:50.199 the Connecticut backcourt to Las Vegas Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plumb, 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:52.920 Jackie Young, when you compare them to Courtney van der 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:56.280 Sloot to Sabrina Yescu, that there is a difference there, frankly, 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:59.240 between what Connecticut has and what New York has. That 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:01.480 might just be the difference for now and until that 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:04.160 is upgraded. For Connecticut, I think their ceiling kind of 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:06.800 is what it is at least is currently constituted. 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.959 Well, third best team is still pretty good as far 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:13.880 as as far as the standings go. I gotta ask you, 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:17.000 I guess now, because I can't imagine they're going to 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.800 have a long run in the playoffs. Is there any 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.720 chance the Sky can win a game in this series 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:23.960 against the ass. 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:27.960 I mean, the Sky play really, really hard, They're super competitive. 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.240 Becky Hammond has actually talked about how they've given, uh, 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.120 you know, Las Vegas some trouble this year, and certainly 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.120 someone like Marina Maybray can go off. Kalia Copper, We've 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.560 seen it in big moments. We've seen her star. I 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:43.920 would bet not like you know, my guess, Las Vegas 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.320 is going to come out and just bring it like 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.400 they have been waiting all year for this postseason run. 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.920 You know, it is the area championship winning team we 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:55.760 certainly know in other sports. Not that Las Vegas was 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.520 complacent because we saw them become the number one seed 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.200 get off to a historic start in the regular season, 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:03.840 but the playoffs are a different animal. I would expect 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:06.120 them to come out really fast at the start of 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:09.040 the postseason on Wednesday night and continue to roll from 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:11.640 their Chicago. I think they can keep these games competitive, 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:13.040 but I just don't know if they have the talent 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:16.040 frankly to match up with the Aces for a series. 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:20.000 Yeah, because they traded or let all of their talent 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:22.920 from the championship team in twenty twenty one walk away 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:26.400 basically the last season, and then they traded three first 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:30.000 round picks basically to bring in Marina maybriy, Was this 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:31.920 a good season for the Sky? Like I said, they 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:33.800 made it into the playoffs the very last week of 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:36.640 the season, they finished below five hundred, and now they've 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.040 got their next three first round picks going out. That 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:41.040 doesn't seem right to me. 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.120 Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a weird season for the 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.440 Chicago Sky. I mean I think you know, we did 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:48.880 a poll a round table among us as a staff 0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:52.520 on the Athletic Online and we asked for what our 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:54.760 biggest surprise was, and for me, it was James Wade's 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.040 resignation mid season. Like I think all the other things 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:01.000 aside that have been on court and court, if you 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.120 were going to tell a fan of the Sky and 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:05.320 maybe a fan of the WNBA or anyone who follows 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:08.880 the league, like James Wade, the coach and general manager 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.760 of the team is going to resign abruptly in mid 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:14.120 July to take a job as an assistant coach with 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:17.240 the Toronto Raptors. I think that was the biggest surprise, 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:20.840 at least in my opinion, of the whole year. Certainly, 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.920 he made a big swing from Marina Maybrew, who is 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:26.320 a really, really good player mind you, and she had 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.520 a good year, but he traded all those picks and 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:32.760 then he kind of left mid season, so it's certainly 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:35.080 an accomplishment. They played really hard down the second half 0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:37.720 of the year. Getting in the playoffs is no small feat. 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:40.640 They continue to bring it on a nightly basis. They 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.800 did not quit despite the coaching change. But I don't 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:45.520 know if it was a good season. It certainly was 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:49.560 a noteworthy season, a surprising season, a strange season, maybe 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:50.960 one of the strangest in the whole league. 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:55.640 Frankly, Yeah, when the GM trades away all of the 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:59.240 future and then leaves months into the future, that was 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.360 pretty weird. Wighed out one in Wayne Wade now a 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.680 part of the Chicago Sky So at least I'm feeling 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:08.440 pretty confident about that. But uh, yeah, I was. It's 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.720 tough to go from winning a championship almost getting back 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.240 to now scraping into the playoffs and not exactly knowing 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:17.480 where the next bit of help is going to come from. 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.520 But at least Colia Kapfer signed an extension, so that's 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.480 good because she is awesome to watch. Moving on, what 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.000 do you think is going to be the most exciting 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:27.879 first round? Series in the WNBA playoffs. 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:30.920 To me, it is dream wings. I just think there's 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:33.199 a lot of talent. That's the four or five series. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.760 It's just two teams that have very interesting, kind of 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.320 up and coming rosters, a lot of young roster talent 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:42.040 on both sides. You know, Ryan Howard, Alisha Gray kind 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.240 of in Atlanta, they're back in the postseason for the 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:48.120 first time since twenty eighteen. And then you have Dallas. 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:51.720 Right Satu Sabili might win most improved players she's had, 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.800 you know, the best year of her young career. Arique Ogombawalle, 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:56.919 you know, one of the best bucket getters in the 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.159 w and Dallas, I think just interest places one of 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.960 the most interesting styles, can shape shift like few other 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.120 teams in the WNBA. Their front court is really their 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:08.840 strength or one of the things that really makes them 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.960 so unique. I mentioned Satusaboli, but they have Tierra McCowan 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:14.359 who's one of the best low post players on both 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:17.240 ends in the league. Natasha Howard, a former Defensive Player 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:19.520 of the Year. Also in that front court. Off the bench, 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:21.240 they have Awa Kwir who's one of the most kind 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:25.000 of intriguing young players. Another big who's super versatile, provides 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:27.399 some rim protection, can also stretch on the perimeter. And 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.719 Colonie Brown, who is another force, who's one of them, 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:32.840